Male Fertility – Sperm Count, Morphology and Motility

Most cases of male fertility issues are due to low sperm count, poor sperm morphology, poor sperm motility, or all three.

Low sperm count (oligospermia) is considered anything less than 20 million/ml, and is often only temporary.  Low sperm count can be caused by:

  • partial obstruction somewhere along the pathway through which sperm passes
  • emotional stress
  • sexual adversities including erectile dysfunction
  • lubricants with spermicide
  • scrotal overheating (such as with high fever, tight-fitting clothing, saunas, and bicycling)
  • substance abuse (e.g. with cocaine or marijuana)
  • cigarette smoking
  • nutritional deficiencies
  • obesity
  • genetic factors (e.g. cystic fibrosis)
  • environmental factors (e.g. toxins, chemicals, heavy metals, or radiation)
  • varicocele
What does sperm morphology have to do with male fertility?

Poor sperm morphology (teratospermia) refers to abnormally-shaped sperm, which cannot fertilize an egg. You do not need all of your sperm to be of proper shape, however, and if pregnancy does occur, having poor sperm morphology does not increase the risk of your child having birth defects.

How does sperm motility affect male fertility?

Poor sperm motility (asthenospermia) refers to sperm movement being too slow, not in a straight line, or both, causing your sperm difficulty in penetrating the cervical mucosa or the hard outer shell of the egg. While it is not necessary for all of your sperm to have good motility to conceive, poor motility may increase your risk for passing on genetic diseases.

How are these male fertility issues treated?

Conventional treatment for low sperm count, poor sperm morphology and poor sperm motility often first addresses any underlying condition. Drug therapy may be prescribed where hormonal imbalance is apparent, and surgery may be recommended for such cases as varicocele.  Other options that may be recommended include artificial insemination, and assisted reproductive technologies (such as in-vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

Natural health care is excellent for improving the count and quality of your sperm. Nutritional counselling can help your body be vital and virile, as can acupuncture and TCMYoga can help improve the quality of your sperm, and massage therapy can help reduce stress and thereby make you more fertile.

Contact us for a FREE consultation on how natural therapy can help you to become more fertile.

These links may also be helpful:

Male Fertility

Female Fertility